News Feature | March 5, 2014

Retail IT News For VARs — March 5, 2014

A study reveals large enterprises consider mobility and Big Data as priorities. Also in the news, an article says beacons are most beneficial when connected to consumer touch points.

C-Suites Set Sights On Mobility, Big Data Technologies

Property Casualty 360 highlights a recent Accenture study that found mobility and Big Data are the most important digital technology priorities for large enterprises. Seventy-seven percent of global C-Suite leaders have identified mobility as one of the top five priorities, followed by Big Data analytics (72 percent). The report also highlights some of the emerging technologies that respondents would consider as part of their digital agenda in the next three years. In first place were low-energy components and connectivity standards (44 percent.) This is followed by wearable technology, like smart watches and exercise devices (39 percent). Natural user interfaces, including augmented reality and voice recognition, came in third place (38 percent). Other technologies mentioned include NFC, Geo-fencing, indoor analytics, and open source development platforms, to name a few.

Beacons Most Valuable When Connected To Consumer Touch Points

According to Sparkfly CEO Catherine Tabor on Chain Store Age, beacons will help retailers gain better insight into the path to purchase. In order to reap the benefits of this technology, Tabor argues the data gleaned from beacons should be merged with transactional data from POS technology.

BI And Analytics Platforms To See Rapid Adoption

Research and Markets predicts that the global BI and Analytics Platform market will grow at a CAGR of 8.93 percent from 2013-2018. One analyst says that SaaS-based BI and analytics platform applications will be in demand and see rapid adoption in the near future.

Mobile Innovation: Not Just For Retailers

The Washington Post has released a list of key retail trends to watch out for this year. While there has been much talk about the importance of mobile strategies for retailers, WashingtonPost says that entire shopping centers will be investing in mobile capabilities. Some of these capabilities could include providing users with mall directories, discount alerts, and maps to important mall facilities as soon as a customer enters the mall.

Retail IT Talking Points

Angela Ashenden for MWD Advisors discusses the importance of social analytics technologies within a business.

CNBC highlights some of the newest forms of wearable technologies at the recent Wearable Tech Fashion Show during Social Media Week. One company in particular has come up with digital applications for eyewear so retail employees can access information and tools hands-free.